University Bubble Making Hissing Sounds

[spyguy]

3 hours ago, Saving For a Space Ship said:

Student Housing, One of the Most Hyped Asset Classes, Runs Out of Students

https://wolfstreet.com/2020/05/24/student-housing-one-of-the-most-hypes-asset-classes-runs-out-of-students/

1st comment.

Students, today’s lesson is on contracts.

As in, if you voluntarily enter/sign one, you better have read it, understand it and know the penalties for not adhering to the contract.

Which sounds all grown up, adult n legal and landlordy.

Until you realise it's the company in shit - they are taking in vast debts to provide an expensive service to a 18-21yo, who, whilst a bit naive, is an adult who can file for bankruptcy at an early age and not be affected from it.

The grown up lesson here is do not advance credit to people with no assets or income stream. Contract might as well be signed on a wet fart.

Fuktards.

[sammersmith]

Another halls of residence in Bolton for sale. £2.5 mil

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/commercial-property-for-sale/property-92658812.html

Selling in a part built condition. Looks like they don't think it's even worth completing themselves and want out NOW!

[winkie]

11 hours ago, spyguy said:

Or ... read from the coursebooks....

Yes, that should mean the £9k borrowed fee should be cut drastically.....now there will be fewer jobs about, might be a brilliant opportunity for all kinds of people to study at home or local hubs safely for far less......?

[Si1]

On 20/05/2020 at 18:19, debtlessmanc said:

Applications are buoyant i am told, india growing strongly. Much as i would like  to say not and cynical old school academic as i am, the uk has it minted for HE for the foreseeable future. I have been doing some research on MSc courses for one we want to launch. EU universities offer them for small fees taught in english. The uk and switzerland £25k+ a year, yet the international students repeatedly choose the latter not the former. The only explanation i can think is “the higher the price the higher the value” philosophy. Economically we should turn the country into one giant Eton/cheltenhams ladies college for kids and oxbridge for adults. Pay the staff well and pull in the best of the eu and elsewhere to teach the stuff.

I bet there's a split in the desirability of strong respected university towns like, say, Warwick, Sheffield, Manchester, Cardiff, Edinburgh etc, and the likes of Bolton and Rotherham, say.

I recall Leeds Met changed its name a few years ago to Leeds Carnegie, buying into its history and the identity of its founding college from a century or so ago. 

Definitely seem to be selling historical continuity, tradition etc to the Chinese in that respect.

I can't see how Bolton and Rotherham can buy into that!

[shlomo]

5 hours ago, Si1 said:

I bet there's a split in the desirability of strong respected university towns like, say, Warwick, Sheffield, Manchester, Cardiff, Edinburgh etc, and the likes of Bolton and Rotherham, say.

I recall Leeds Met changed its name a few years ago to Leeds Carnegie, buying into its history and the identity of its founding college from a century or so ago. 

Definitely seem to be selling historical continuity, tradition etc to the Chinese in that respect.

I can't see how Bolton and Rotherham can buy into that!

Bolton and Rotherham would need to be significantly cheaper, I am sure students from poorer countries are very cost conscious 

[wighty]

University is only partly for the education and qualification.  It's the lifestyle, independence and social aspects as well.  If you have on-line at home it wont be worth the effort for many. May as well take an OU course.

[debtlessmanc]

8 hours ago, wighty said:

University is only partly for the education and qualification.  It's the lifestyle, independence and social aspects as well.  If you have on-line at home it wont be worth the effort for many. May as well take an OU course.

Which is why students will defer to next year. This is why it is such a headache for universities, if they make a bunch of people redundant this year how will they handle the huge surge next year.

[Si1]

26 minutes ago, debtlessmanc said:

Which is why students will defer to next year. This is why it is such a headache for universities, if they make a bunch of people redundant this year how will they handle the huge surge next year.

That's if they don't have to wait two years...

[shlomo]

On 5/20/2020 at 6:19 PM, debtlessmanc said:

Applications are buoyant i am told, india growing strongly. Much as i would like  to say not and cynical old school academic as i am, the uk has it minted for HE for the foreseeable future. I have been doing some research on MSc courses for one we want to launch. EU universities offer them for small fees taught in english. The uk and switzerland £25k+ a year, yet the international students repeatedly choose the latter not the former. The only explanation i can think is “the higher the price the higher the value” philosophy. Economically we should turn the country into one giant Eton/cheltenhams ladies college for kids and oxbridge for adults. Pay the staff well and pull in the best of the eu and elsewhere to teach the stuff.

The purpose of education for these people, is a brilliant job, in a world without jobs paying this kind of money does not make sense 

[Locke]

On 24/05/2020 at 17:51, highcontrast said:

I wonder if the student let market could a potential trigger in the same way AirBnB could be?

My peers (mid to late 20's) certainly no longer believe in the value of a university education.

[Mikhailo]

University of Manchester are offering voluntrary redundancy and some staff are volunteering to take pay cuts. According to the article the UoM is projecting that it will lose between 15-25% of it's income in the next academic year.

https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/university-manchester-introduce-voluntary-pay-18299854

 

[Gigantic Purple Slug]

On 26/05/2020 at 09:35, Locke said:

My peers (mid to late 20's) certainly no longer believe in the value of a university education.

Then they chose the wrong course.

If people haven't figured out that a degree in Multimedia Studies from the University of Nowhere is worth jack by now they probably shouldn't be at university in the first place.

[Si1]

1 hour ago, Gigantic Purple Slug said:

Then they chose the wrong course.

If people haven't figured out that a degree in Multimedia Studies from the University of Nowhere is worth jack by now they probably shouldn't be at university in the first place.

Design can pay well these days.

On 26/05/2020 at 09:35, Locke said:

My peers (mid to late 20's) certainly no longer believe in the value of a university education.

The economy's not been very kind to the masses these past ten years. If you believe the central banks, we just need another interest rate cut to make it all ok. And then another one. And maybe some more QE etc aswell.

Even some ostensibly good fields have been paying poorly.

Edited May 27, 2020 by Si1

[Locke]

1 hour ago, Gigantic Purple Slug said:

Then they chose the wrong course.

If people haven't figured out that a degree in Multimedia Studies from the University of Nowhere is worth jack by now they probably shouldn't be at university in the first place.

Engineering type degrees.

[Crowdedmarket]

3 hours ago, Mikhailo said:

University of Manchester are offering voluntrary redundancy and some staff are volunteering to take pay cuts. According to the article the UoM is projecting that it will lose between 15-25% of it's income in the next academic year.

https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/university-manchester-introduce-voluntary-pay-18299854

 

Manchester seem to be behind the curve. Newcastle Uni sent emails to several staff on the first week of lockdown.

https://academicirregularities.wordpress.com/2020/03/29/in-which-we-serve-universities-in-lockdown/

Presumably, administrators will not be kicked out. Yet.

[shlomo]

Kingston university cutting pay but making up for this by giving staff a much better title 

 

LOL

[Crowdedmarket]

Just now, shlomo said:

Kingston university cutting pay but making up for this by giving staff a much better title 

 

LOL

University of Nottingham removed the term "lecturer" and upped the ante to "assistant professor". Senior postdocs, who lectured maybe twice a year, are now assistant professors. Contracts were also renewed at that time.

Perhaps the first to be helped* will be the newly contracted staff (some have been there for 15+ years).

 

*out the door at this very difficult time.

 

 

[Si1]

There's a defundacademia hashtag in protest at the left/liberal bias in parts of academia

Edited June 11, 2020 by Si1

[msi]

1 hour ago, Si1 said:

There's a defundacademia hashtag in protest at the left/liberal bias in parts of academia

Ah the 'left' conspiracy theory - right up there with 6ft Lizards and illuminati

Notice how the people pushing this generally didn't go to academia?

[richmondtw]

7 minutes ago, msi said:

Ah the 'left' conspiracy theory - right up there with 6ft Lizards and illuminati

How many right wing lecturers / teachers have you ever met.  Me? None? At achool at uni i had to listen to bearded idiots or women who wear flat shoes and no make up espousing their left wing views.  

They go into soft jobs in education because they would not last 5 minutes in a hard commercial environment. 

[richmondtw]

10 minutes ago, msi said:

Notice how the people pushing this generally didn't go to academia?

No because they are not left wing and they want to be in the real world

[Confusion of VIs]

On 24/05/2020 at 19:36, spyguy said:

1st comment.

Students, today’s lesson is on contracts.

As in, if you voluntarily enter/sign one, you better have read it, understand it and know the penalties for not adhering to the contract.

Which sounds all grown up, adult n legal and landlordy.

Until you realise it's the company in shit - they are taking in vast debts to provide an expensive service to a 18-21yo, who, whilst a bit naive, is an adult who can file for bankruptcy at an early age and not be affected from it.

The grown up lesson here is do not advance credit to people with no assets or income stream. Contract might as well be signed on a wet fart.

Fuktards.

The guarantor might well be affected by bankruptcy. Most of my daughters friends studying in the UK have already signed their contracts for next years student accommodation all with parents as guarantors. 

[Si1]

16 minutes ago, msi said:

Ah the 'left' conspiracy theory - right up there with 6ft Lizards and illuminati

Notice how the people pushing this generally didn't go to academia?

Academia does seem to be the last bastion of nuts Marxism.

Having said that the alt-right does tend to take pride in deliberately devaluing genuine expertise.

[msi]

7 minutes ago, Si1 said:

Academia does seem to be the last bastion of nuts Marxism.

Having said that the alt-right does tend to take pride in deliberately devaluing genuine expertise.

Please don't take my comments as any attack on you  

Academia is a bastion for many ideas, but the idea of a left leaning ideological bias is frankly nuts.  There is a wide range of views - Jordan Petersen and Niall Ferguson are some very good examples of right leaning thinking.

The alt-right are trying to get moral credibility - the whole use of alternate facts and using impartiality to equate for equivalence is more damaging and should be called out where ever it is found.

 

[msi]

17 minutes ago, richmondtw said:

How many right wing lecturers / teachers have you ever met.  Me? None? At achool at uni i had to listen to bearded idiots or women who wear flat shoes and no make up espousing their left wing views.  

They go into soft jobs in education because they would not last 5 minutes in a hard commercial environment.

No because they are not left wing and they want to be in the real world

Did you really go to higher education with that stereotyped view?   That might as well come out of a white van man editorial in the Sun

I met plenty of right leaning academics.  The pressures to put out papers, secure recognition, get students to teach, work on national and international collaboration means academia is as cut throat as the commercial world. You want to try and work on a 12+ country team (with associated languages) trying to wrestle a 5B euro programme over 15 years?  - give me a f******g break is it a 'soft job'.

OxBridge bio labs go head to head with Big Pharma companies to negotiate patents and pipelines.  Meterurallogy work in the North East is being fed into NextGen electric batteries - the 1M mile battery packs being generated were based on this.

Not bad for 'bearded idiots wearing flat shoes' .